Megalopolis
By Francis Ford Coppola, Chris Ryall, & Jacob Phillips
160 pages/Abrams ComicArts/$25.99
While curious, I did not go to see Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. I had read about the trouble shoot, the confused critics, and the box office doldrums, and never got around to it on streaming. Thankfully, Abrams ComicArts has provided us with a graphic novel adaptation, which apparently isn’t slavish to the screenplay. Billed as an “alternate” version, it apparently is to be considered a sibling to the feature.
Coppola succumbs to the fascination with ancient Rome, which has become the cliché starting point for alternate futures such as The Hunger Games, Red Rising, and even Foundation. Somehow, the empire never fell, and futuristic wonders can be found in New Rome, which is our New York City.
It’s a story about family and competing visions of that future: one utopian in its aspirations, the other set in a regressive status quo.
That’s about all that makes sense. Chris Ryall, an accomplished writer and editor in his own right, fails to turn Coppola’s ideas into a coherent narrative with clearly defined characters. The worldbuilding raises more questions than it answers, and none of it is appealing. We root for none of the characters or, frankly, care about them long before the story ends. He’s billed as both writer and editor, and here, a seasoned editorial hand was required.
I gather the film’s narrative is its philosophical sweep, which isn’t evident here.
Similarly, cartoon Jacob Phillips is fine with the people, but New Rome needs to be a personality in its own right; we’re giving more of an impression of the city than something comprehensible.
I admire the experimentation evident in the project, but the execution does not deliver an enjoyable reading experience.
English (US) · 